A Potential New Approach to the Treatment of Retinitis Pigmentosa

In a recently published study (1), researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have come up with a novel approach in developing an individualized treatment for RP patients, using the patients' own cells transformed into an in vitro model for studying the disease and developing a potential treatment.

While RP can begin during infancy, the first symptoms typically emerge in early adulthood, starting with night blindness. As the disease progresses, affected individuals lose peripheral vision. In later stages, RP destroys photoreceptors in the macula, which is responsible for fine central vision. RP is estimated to affect at least 75,000 (Read more...)